Psychotherapist Revealed ─ Therapists Speak About Self-Disclosure in Psychotherapy

In this edited volume, the real dialogue begins. Therapists speak openly and honestly about their self-disclosure practices, decisions and clinical dilemmas. Bloomgarden and Mennuti bring together research, training and tales from their clinical experience to illuminate lessons derived from their own journeys toward judicious, balanced self-disclosure practices. In a readable fashion, the stories highlight a variety of self-disclosure and boundary issues that occur in the course of psychotherapy. Numerous treatment modalities and clinical orientations are represented.

The collective wisdom offered through these stories, which includes suggested guidelines and a standard of care for good practice, will assist the reader in developing a better understanding of what it means to self-disclose appropriately, recognizing a flexible middle ground between "too much" and "too little" along with responsiveness to client need. The Freudian based taboo that rigidly warns against all self-disclosure is antiquated, and a more reasonable, balanced perspective is under way. As a psychotherapeutic community, including psychologists, social workers, art therapists, counselors, dance/movement therapists who are all represented in this book, it is time to talk openly about a balanced, judicious, and therapeutically appropriate approach to self-disclosure and boundaries. Bravely, that is exactly what the authors in this book have done.

Part I: Foundations. Bloomgarden, Mennuti, Therapist Self-Disclosure: Beyond the Taboo. Maroda, Less is More: An Argument for the Judicious Use of Self-Disclosure. Zur, Therapist Self-Disclosure: Standard of Care, Ethical Considerations and Therapeutic Context. Part II: Case Examples by Clinical Orientation & Clientele. Rabinor, Self-Disclosure as a Turning Point in Psychotherapy. Filetti, Mattei, To Share or Not to Share - Self-Disclosure in the Treatment of Borderline Personality Disorder. Prenn, I Second that Emotion! On Self-Disclosure and its Metaprocessing. Bloomgarden, Mennuti, Lessons Learned from Adolescent Girls. Malatesta, Behavioral Treatment of a Case Involving Obsessive Compulsive Hoarding: Case Formulation, The Therapeutic Relationship, and In Vivo Therapy. Nerenberg, Treating Addictions: A Balanced Approach to Boundaries and Therapist Self-Disclosure. Part III: Interface of Therapist and Client Ethnic/Racial/Cultural Factors. Laliotis, Attachment and Healing: An EMDR Relational Approach. Sparks, Learning to Be Authentic with Clients: The Untold Journey of a Relational Practitioner. Patton, Engendering a New Paradigm: Self-Disclosure with Queer Clients. Part IV: Treatment Variations. Gerstein, Family Therapist/Family Member: Family Dynamics at Work and at Home. Barber, The Perils of Rigid Adherence: A Look Back at a Group. McNiff, Creative Expression in Service of Others: Reflections on Transparency in Art Therapy Practice. Billock Tropea, The Therapeutic Relationship in Motion: A Dance/Movement Therapist's Perspective. Part V: Therapists Losses and Personal Challenges. Gottlieb, Bloomgarden, Mennuti, McCoubrey, Nobody Gets to See the Wizard: An Interview with Dan Gottlieb. Comstock, Confronting Life's Adversities: Self-Disclosure in Print and in Session. Treadway, For Your Client's Sake: Practicing Clinically Constructive Self-Disclosure. Part VI: Supervision, Best Practice Guidelines. Feindler, Padrone, Self-Disclosure in Clinical Supervision. Bloomgarden, Mennuti, Collective Wisdom for Good Practice: Themes for Consideration.